King Game - When even the Steins Gate wants to have a say
by Scarlett Lucky
Summary: On a hot summer morning the Future Gadget Laboratory members reunite to spend some time relaxing together, but what's better than playing King Game? With embarrassing orders and truths that come to life, this time it seems like even the Steins;Gate wants to have a say about the Mad Scientist and his Assistant.


_**King Game ~ When even the Steins;Gate wants to have a say.**_

 _They chose to live in the Steins;Gate worldline because they wished for a future made with their own hands, but, among the many worldlines, there was something that would never change.  
«King Game!», Shiina Mayuri's voice echoes happily in the awfully hot air of the Future Gadget Laboratory. It's the end of July and the outside temperature it's so illegal that even Mr. Tennouji has decided to take the day off, leaving the whole group victim of boredom and of the bizzarre ideas of Lab Mem Number 002._

 _ **Rukako**_

«Uhm... it seems like it's my turn to begin», says Ruka with a small voice. He's never been very good in that kind of thing and he has the terror of giving orders that might bother someone. After looking for some help in Mayuri's smiling face, he finally announces his decision. «Ah, uh... Number 4 pinch Number 5's cheeks».  
«Awww, Ruka, you're too modest!», Mayuri interrupts him keeping the smile on her face. «You could have asked for something more difficult, like a kiss or a hug».  
Rukako feels his cheeks redden immediately and curses a bit the easiness with which anyone can read his thoughts on his delicate face. «I- I could never have asked something so embarrassing. I-I didn't know that Mayushii had such a steamy side».  
It's in that small moment of general commotion that he looks at Kyouma and Makise-san brandishing their sticks, the first one with a poorly hidden triumphant look on his face.  
«What disgrace, having such attention forced on me from Okabe». Makise, indeed, didn't look too happy of the way things turned and, even though he feels a little guilty saying something like that, Ruka is glad that he didn't follow Mayuri's advice. He always had a thing for Okabe and his feelings had begun to grow even stronger since he started having weird but extremely vivid dreams of a real date with the guy. Still his order created an embarrassing situation.  
«I-I'm sorry, Kurisu», he manages to stammer before getting interrupted by Okabe.  
«Too bad, Assistant! But this is the will of the Steins;Gate... now, present your body unto me!».  
Nevertheless, though, he knows that there's already someone in the mad scientist's heart and everyone but the girl seem to have noticed it. So, even if on one side the scene hurts a bit, because he knows from Kurisu's red cheeks that those feelings are mutual, on the other seeing those two bicker as usual warms his heart. It's like watching a scene that belongs to a distant and yet near past, and just to witness it makes him think "everything's alright". It's because of this that he can't can't stop an heartfelt laugh from gushing out of his chest at the sight of Kyouma being memorably slapped from Kurisu for taking too much advantage of the situation.

 _ **Faris**_

«King Game!».  
«Now's Faris' turn, nya~ I'm going to go a bit orthodox this time, and make someone play the Pocky Game, nyan».  
Faris is almost pleased when she notices the tension and the silence that have filled the air, like everyone is awaiting for a great event after she exposed the cards on the table. After giving a look at the group, she announces her choice with a satisfied smirk: «Nyumbers 1 and 6, go ahead~».  
Even if it was a shame having to play the Pocky Game card without having the possibility to participate, she would never have expected that Kyouma - who was still dumbfoundedly staring at his stick - and Kurisu - who was assuming a tonality dangerously close to the one of her hair - would be the lucky ones once again.  
She didn't have many occasions to relate with Kurisu, but still it wasn't difficult at all for her to guess that she was a very clever person even if she had serious problems about being honest with herself about certain things. Not to mention Kyouma: she has always appreciated his fantasy and his great stories about conspiracies, he was a kind person who she really was fond of, but not being honest to themselves must have been a trait common to all scientist, mad or not that they were. Sometimes scenes of memories that never happened flashed on her mind, she remembers seeing the mad scientist's mask crumbling down while asking for forgiveness for her father's death. She was pretty sure that those scenes never took place but they were so real that she started observing carefully the gestures that people made everyday. It was in that way that she understood how that bizarre friend of her - who was a self - proclaimed mad scientist - only had eyes for Kurisu to point that she started wondering if he had any intentions to make any progress in that situation.  
«Oh, looks like we're almost out of ». Typical, Faris finds herself thinking when the young scientist offers herself for buying some soda for a fridge that is already full. It's not difficult for her coming to the conclusion that she has to intervene to shake the things up. A professional RaiNet player like her has to know when's the right moment to attack, after all.  
«Aw, are you embarrassed, Kurisu-chan?Because if it's like that I can always change the order...», promptly intervenes Faris batting her long lashes while sticking closer to Kyouma. «For example: "the King and the number 6 share an hot, steamy French kiss..."».  
She can't help but smiling with satisfaction when Kurisu jumps up on her feet with the intention of going back on her word. «Hold it!», she hears her shouting with an embarrassed pout that reminds her one of the tsundere characters that she saw on TV. «Something like a k-k-kiss isn't anything to get so worked up about! In America it's practically how we say "hello", I won't lose at some stupid Pocky Game!Okabe get over here, pronto!».  
Faris feels so proud of her ability of manipulating people while watching the young scientist handing out, with an incredibly red face, the pocky between her lips to an embarrassed Okabe who doesn't know what to do. "Ah, those two would be lost without us", she thinks while assisting at the scene. Their expressions are so obvious that it looks like someone can read their minds by just watching their faces.  
 _"... gosh, it's still embarrassing"._  
 _" If I run away now I'll have lost as a woman! Here goes!"_  
It's a shame that, for unknown motivations, the pocky ends up in one of Okabe's eyes, rising a laughter from everyone. Oh well, at least she has tried.

 _ **Suzuha**_

«King Game!», it's the cheerful exclamation that comes from Suzuha. It's the first time playing a game like this and she doesn't have a clue about what she should ask to liven up the day. In the end she lets the laziness get the best of her and orders the number 1 and 2 to get rid of the boxes that her boss told her to take care of in the warehouse. At least she'll a have a longer luch break, next time the shop opens.  
Kurisu and Okabe really don't why fate seems to have taken a liking into them , so, gathering all of their patience, they try to get rid of the work as soon as possibile.  
«This should be the last one», states Kurisu with a hint of satisfaction in her voice. She can't wait to get out of that dark and dusty warehouse,without forgetting that being alone with Okabe after all that had happened until then makes her a bit uncomfortable.  
Even Okabe is not managing too well, because doing all that physical acitivity all of a sudden gained him a terrible pain at the hip, and Kurisu knows how men tend to get dramatic when ill. «It's me We've run into a trap of the Organization and we don't know whether we'll make it out of here alive», she hears him talking dramatically on the phone. «El. Psy. Congroo».  
«Look, that's what you get for not sticking a foot out of that laboratory», he's scolded by Kurisu while she's walking absentmintedly with the last box in her hands. «Get some rest and leave the other things to m- woah!».  
She almost doesn't notice the unidentified object on the floor before falling. She only hears Okabe screaming her name and prepares herself for a hard hit. The pain, though, doesn't seem to come and, when she opens her eyes, confused, she spots the scientist under her body, watching her with visibile worry.  
«Are you okay, Christina?», he questions her vehemently .  
Kurisu looks at him with a dumbfounded expression for a second. He's the one who got all her weight on himself in a hit, he should be more worried for himself than her. «I'm fine, but you... ».  
«Idiot!», he shouts furiously taking her hand in his. «It's obvious that you're more important here, no?».  
She would prefer dying before admitting it, but she's so happy when she hears him speaking in that way that she doesn't know what to say, so she starts talking without control, saying meaningless things. «What is with you... The one calling someone an idiot is an idiot himself you know. Also I'm not wanting to be comforted by Okabe about this...».  
«Guh, will this woman ever shut up?».  
«Thanks for saving me, there...».  
«Huh? I-it's nothing!».  
And it was like that that Suzuha ended up being scolded for the chaos that reigned in the warehouse.

 _ **Moeka**_

«King Game!».  
Moeka likes this kind of games, but it's the first time actually playing it so she wants to make history.  
"Person #2 holds #5 in a princess hold", she quickly types on her phone ignoring the complains of the other about her excessive use of it. She observes with curiosity the expression of pure terror and desperation on Okabe's face when he realizes that he has to lift the non exactly feather-like weight of his friend Hashida.  
«Mmmh, being held by Okarin, so sexy», she hears Hashida commenting with a questionable attitude.  
«Okay, redraw, number 5!».  
Okabe seriously starts thinking that there might be some kind of trick behind that game, beacuse the lucky person in question is, once again, his assistant and the fact doesn't make anything else but rising a general disappointment which seemed all but honest. As soon as he lifts the small frame of Kurisu in his arms, the uproar the - of course - had predicted comes alive: Moeka readily takes out her phone becoming a late hour photographer, while the remaing part of the girls starts commenting the event with statements that don't help him in maintaining his cool.  
«A princess' hold is every girl's dream, nya ~», is what Faris says while Shining Finger continues her photoshoot.  
The embarrassment of the situation is growing with every second and even his flustered protests can't stop the excited idle chatter of the girls, so the scientist decides to focus only on what he's doing and on Christina, so small and shy in his arms. Obviously, the most important "quality" of Rintarou Okabe is being able to worsen his own situation with his own hands, so his mind stars wandering in not exactly opportune considerations.  
Shit, what's with this assistant?She's so thin and her tighs are so soft!But what's really worse... is that she smells so good!  
«O-okabe», he can hear her calling him with an awfully small voice. «Are you okay?».  
And if until that moment he has been able to mantain his composure, the defenseless expression of Kurisu is seriously risking to make him insane. «I'm perfectly fine!», .he manages to exclaim with such an innaturally high-pitched voice that he's dying to slap himself in the face. «I'm _in no way_ thinking of anything perverted».  
Kurisu doesn't stop to stare at him dumbfoundedly, a red hue tinting her cheeks. «Eh? Not that, your hip... didn't you hurt it, earlier?».  
A loud "crack!" e and a scream of pain remind the Lab Mem that physical activity is important for health.

 _ **Mayuri**_

 _Let's see who's the king!_  
«Tutturu~ Numbers 4 and 6 will wear my specially made costumes!», says Mayuri sweetly.  
Kurisu and Okabe almost don't feel the need to check their sticks to know what their fate is, but, in reality, they could never have expected what happened that day. Kicked one in the bathroom and the the other in the computer room, they get undressed and re-dressed as if they were in one of those extreme makeover programs of the American television.  
«... is it okay like this?», asks the scientist to Daru, feeling uncomfortable in such an elegant attire. The hacker eyes widen in response.  
«Woah, Okabe looks so cool!», he hears Hashida exclaiming while he pushes him in the lounge dressed like a penguin.  
«Mayuri, this outfit seems of higher quality than normal cosplay. What is it supposed to be?», he questions her suspiciously while from the bathroom come hasty exclamations.  
«Kurisu-chan, you're ready, nyan~», is what Faris states while the bathroom's door opens with exasperating slowness.  
The screams of the young scientist soon echo through the laboratory while she's preceded by a nun-dressed Mayushii. «W-wait a minute Mayuri, this is...».  
Okabe thinks he's going to lose it when he's finally able to see his assistant in all her splendor. She's wearing a wonderful bridal gown with her hair pinned up by two roses intertwined in threads of pearls: she's so beautiful that it's criminal, and he can't meet her embarrassed gaze without suddenly feeling his cheeks redden in response. If things keep going like this he won't be able to hold his feelings anymore and in that moment everyone will witness the show that they were waiting for since that morning.  
«Tutturu~», says Mayuri as if to show them to the audience while Suzuha points out that they're wearing a wedding cosplay.  
Kurisu is so embarrassed that she would like to vanish instantly and, almost instinctively, she turns to Okabe asking for an explanation. «O-okabe, what's the meaning of this situation?».  
«I-I'd like to know too!», he exclaims trying not to focus too much on the delicate grip of his assistant's hand while hooking their arms.  
«Now then, Okarin?», sweetly called for him Mayuri bringing him back to reality.  
«Y-yes?».  
«Okarin... do you promise to love Kurisu-chan in sickness and health?».  
For a moment Okabe looks at her with a dumbfounded expression while feeling Kurisu's grip tighten on his arm; for a moment he forgets how all of this is just an act made up by Mayuri and starts thinking seriously about how he should answer to a question of that kind. Suddenly flashes of other worldlines flood into his mind: Kurisu helping him carrying the IBN 5100, Kurisu offering him one of the terrible dishes she made with a satisfied look, Kurisu mimicking his mad scientist pose to cheer him up, Kurisu fixing up his tie for his first date with Rukako, Kurisu being shy, Kurisu giving him a bright smile... and the answer slips out of his mouth even before realizing it.  
«... I don't».  
An icy silence falls down for a while, followed by the incredulous comments of his friends.  
«O-Okarin?».  
«Hey, Okabe, read the mood, man!».  
«I can't believe it...».  
He takes a deep breath and goes on. «I'm sorry Mayuri, but I can't promise. The ring... », he begins slowly, tenderly squeezing Kurisu's hand before she can pull it back. «The vows, the kiss... I want to save all of them for the real thing!».  
He doesn't think he's ever felt both so cool and so stupidly embarrassed in all his eighteen years of life, and he's tempted to close the speech in that exact moment, but then his gaze falls on Kurisu, Kurisu who, with teary eyes and her embarrassed face half-hidden by the white roses bouquet, hasn't the courage to meet his eyes.  
«So...», he finished swallowing what was left of his pride. «Wait until then, Kurisu».

* * *

 _ **Notes**_

Hello there!  
This is the first time in a good while that I post something I translated from my original language. Yup. as you might have noticed, english is not my first language, since I'm Italian, so bear with me if there are some mistakes, because I know that I have a lot to improve xD This story is set some time the Steins;Gate movie, so it takes place in the Steins;Gate worldline (let's ignore the fact that Suzuha shouldn't be there). If you notice any mistake or have some advices to give me, I'll be glad you hear you, so please rewiew! :3


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